Earlier in 2023 Liverpool One put out an open call for painted egg artist commissions to celebrate the Eurovision Song Contest being held in Liverpool due to the ongoing invasion of Ukraine. This was Alison’ proposal:
Eurovision Festival
Alison Little is a Liverpool based artist who has worked with schools and community groups across the city and the North West. Commissioned for Go Superlambanana which took over the city for the Capital of Culture year she would seize the opportunity to work on the egg sculptures and all this will encompass including highlighting Liverpool’s cultural prowess. Post Capital of Culture year Alison worked on further Superlambananas for the Peacock, Anfield Childrens Centre, the Lip Doctors in Maghull and most recently, 61 Hope St. In 2011 she managed a six week arts project: Rags Boutique in the Old Paint Shop, Rapid. Rags Boutique has continued as a workshop, last year she took it to Burnley for the Super Slow Way and returned to the Liverpool Irish Festival in the Autumn.
Designs are to be focussed around symbols of the Ukraine, directed beyond the sunflower and the National Flag. Themes around ‘The Black Tulips,’ the group of civilian Ukrainians who volunteer to recover the bodies of fallen troops from the battlefields, addressing how the Russians do not acknowledge their war dead. Conflict within the UKraine including the recent civil war, identifying with general lawlessness and the day-to-day presence of weaponry. The Gateway, where East meets West, Christianity meets Muslim. Grain production and the ‘Breadbin of Europe’ equally, address Russia’s economic power through gas supply. Displacement and Ukrainian refugees being fast tracked into the UK. Comparisons between the port city of Mariupol and Liverpool.
Artist to hold a number of workshops with pupils in the timetabled art classes. To be given a sheet of A4 with 9 egg templates to draw ideas on. Projection of a range of images relevant to the matters stated above in addition to readings from Andre Kurkov’s Ukraine Diaries and selected parts of the ITV documentary ‘Children of the Ukraine’. Pupils with assistance of the artist to select one design to develop in more details onto an A4 sheet with only 1 egg template.
The workshops will result in one design, or part of one design being chosen to use as the background for the egg sculpture. If a very textual image is selected, perhaps a fire and battle field scene, this could be painted onto the egg with a small group of pupils. Maximalism being core to the design, a number of egg shapes stencilled onto the main structure. Individual pupils asked to paint selected designs onto the fibreglass from. Touch up work to be conducted by the artist.
Suitable for any of the boroughs, potentially secondary schools, but it could be modified for primary school groups. A first rate arts project which can bring social, economic and cultural understanding to Liverpool One.
Unfortunately she was unsuccessful and is looking forward to viewing the selected designs.
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